no-lofts diversion is in keeping with the season (almost) (not really)

the snow will sat only until the rain comes

Of course it is a lovely New York City day, with snow falling softly. But it should be gone by morning, after overnight rain. Which brings to mind the greetings of the season: only 8+ weeks before Pitchers & Catchers report to Spring Training! (What … you had another festive event in mind??)

At this point, the Cleveland Indians will be the first team to report, on February 11, with the Yankees on February 14 as they begin Year Two of Five Dark Years. Full schedule, to be updated, here.

With snow baseball in the air like this, take a moment to read this nice little piece on Grantland about the wonderful Roy Halladay. Obviously, I’m no fan of the Jays or of the Phillies, but the guy was both very successful and very classy. Best of luck in the next stage of life, Doc!

With snow baseball (still) in the air, I offer this commentary from the often-sanctimonious Rick Reilly. In this instance, he makes a point that I have myself made following the news that the unneccesary Veteran’s Committee of the baseball Hall of Fame admitted managers Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, and Tony (“smartest guy in the room”) LaRussa. You can’t think of the PED scandal that is keeping implicated players out of the Hall of Fame without thinking of LaRussa and Torre. Let’s just say it is unfortunate for these managers to get into the HoF based on win totals (shall we say) enhanced by tainted players; worse, these managers were, at best, negligent in not realizing what their players were doing (more likely, the correct explanation is ‘turned a blind eye’).

OK, one more, on a more benign note: a major league baseball genealogy, showing where each of the current teams came from and where the defunct franchises were, from The Atlantic.

About the guy at Manhattan Loft Guy

Sandy Mattingly has been Manhattan Loft Guy since March 2006. The Guy thinks out loud in real time on The Blog about the loft niche in the Manhattan residential real estate market, often via a post about a specific loft that recently sold, how the transaction fits into market trends, what is interesting (weird!) about the loft, and how that sale fits into past sales in the building. Perhaps the most unusual resource is unique to Manhattan Loft Guy: a Master List of downtown Manhattan lofts that have sold since November 2008 from $500,000 to $5,000,000. Now a Licensed Associate RE Broker with The Corcoran Group (as “Charles M. Mattingly” at 524 Broadway, NY, NY 10012), the content, opinions, errors (real-time blogging is sometimes not pretty), and snark are all his (scroll down for the disclaimer).

Of course, The Guy’s day job is helping buyers and sellers one-to-one and he can be reached most easily at Sandy.Mattingly@corcoran.com, Sandy@ManhattanLoftGuy.com or 917.902.2491, and followed on Twitter and FaceBook (see buttons, coming, above). In real life, he’s bought and lived in lofts in developing Manhattan residential areas going back to “Tribeca” in 1981 (back in the day, indeed) and believes in service. He’s been on the board and head of the parents association of one of the largest NYC private schools, chair of the pastoral council of his Chelsea parish, and lay trustee of that parish; currently he sits on the board of a 501(c)(3) social outreach mission, serves on the alumni council of his alma mater, and is proud to be a kidney donor (you can’t take it with you: see donation information here).

The Corcoran Disclaimer: “Equal Housing Opportunity. This website is not the official website of The Corcoran Group or its affiliated companies, and neither The Corcoran Group nor its affiliated companies in any way warrant the accuracy of any information contained herein. Any property or services offered for sale on this website shall not be considered an offer to sell such goods or services in any state other New York.”